“Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.” (Mark 9:24)

Today's Sermon in a Nutshell:

“Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.” (Mark 9:24)

Although it might initially sound like a contradiction, in my opinion, this is one of the most powerful statements of faith in the Bible; a sentiment which triggered the miracle Christ performed in this morning’s gospel lesson. This is because the father opened himself up in all honesty and humility, admitting the doubts that disrupted his belief.

There are times in our lives when, like Thomas, the disciple, doubts worm their way into our hearts and minds. We strive to believe yet doubts creep in and overwhelm our conviction. Such doubt is inevitable because we are weak and sinful, no matter how hard we try to be faithful to Christ.

When I was young, I used to think that if you had faith, you would never doubt. I now know this is not true. In fact, to claim such faith might even be dangerous. For if a person maintains this stance, when they do encounter something in life that provokes or challenges their faith, it can collapse like a house of cards. Doubting, and overcoming such doubts, makes us stronger – more resilient.

In essence, doubting is part of faith. No matter how strong your faith might be, when tragedy occurs, when someone close to us dies, suffers an illness, is involved in an accident, the Devil cleverly places doubt at the forefront of your reactions. Therefore, faith is not the absence of doubt, but rather, acknowledging, facing it, and overcoming it with the help of God!

Fr. John